Category Archives: Health and Well-being

Delegation: The key to success

Manager to a team member: “Please graph 2nd quarter sales, this year to last year.”

Sibling to sibling: “When you go see Mom, please water the flower boxes.”

Spouse to spouse: “Can you stop and get milk on the way home, please?”

Parent to child: “Before you go out to play, please unload the dishwasher and set the table.”

One of the most tried and true ways to get more done is to delegate effectively.

Note I said “effectively.”  We can’t just delegate willy-nilly, we need to ensure we are delegating fairly, responsibly, AND we need to follow up accordingly.  (For those of us that might have some control tendencies, delegating requires us to take a deep breath and take a leap of faith.)

What does it mean to delegate?

1: to entrust to another

  • delegate authority
  • delegated the task to her assistant

2: to appoint as one’s representative

Do delegate . . .

. . . assignments you aren’t good at and/or don’t like to do.

. . . things that you don’t have time for.

. . . repetitive tasks.

. . . chores that need to get done, but not necessarily by you.  Just because you’ve always done them, doesn’t mean you need to continue to.

. . . responsibilities that will empower others.

Don’t delegate . . .

. . . things you love to do.  Even mundane tasks can be rewarding. Personally, even when I had an awesome, capable team, I still loved to file.

. . . one-time tasks where your expertise can get it done quickly and efficiently.

. . . responsibilities that require your personal attention (don’t delegate a presentation when someone has requested you as the presenter, but do delegate compiling the slides and handouts).

. . . things that require a level of expertise only you possess (no delegating that brain surgery!)

. . . things where only you can ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information.

Some things to delegate:

  • Business reports
  • Meeting organization
  • Tax preparation and filing
  • Laundry and cleaning
  • Grocery shopping
  • Errands
  • Household maintenance and repairs

Delegation doesn’t require a team of employees.  Look around.  See what needs to be done.  Prepare a list.  Ask for assistance.  Empower others to learn and grow. Give yourself more time to do what you do best.

What can you delegate to make room for what’s most important?

 

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

International Coach Federation

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and AD

Slow the heck down!

I’m at my mom’s celebrating her 89th birthday.  As usual, when I visit, there’s a list of things she (I) would like to accomplish.

Here’s this trip’s list:

  1. Organize photos.
  2. Install screen to hide the garage work area.
  3. Install pull-out organizers in bathroom cabinets.
  4. Get bedspread dry-cleaned.
  5. Do a little de-cluttering.
  6. Coordinate celebratory dinner.
  7. Relax and have fun (Mom’s list, not mine).

Honestly, #7 was not even on my radar, but it seems to get moved to the top of the list almost every trip.

The following things were not on the list but happened anyway:

  1. Leisurely coffee, muffins, and chit chat every morning.
  2. Dinner at my brother and sister-in-law’s house.
  3. Two ceremoniously long lunches with my mom and sister.
  4. A casual get-together with an amazing high-school buddy.
  5. Lunch with my mom, sister, and nephew.

Although we did get a lot of our tasks completed, there were so much more I wanted to “accomplish.”  But, really, didn’t we accomplish the important stuff?

In a year, what will my mom remember about her birthday week?  I think she will remember that we strengthened the family bonds beyond what even those family photos show.

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

International Coach Federation

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD

 

 

Routines

Routine: “Habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure.”

Routines can support us when indecision steps in.

Daily routines can help manage our schedules.

Positive self-care routines can assist in supporting mental health.

Sometimes we use routines without even thinking about it.

I know my day goes better if I work out in the morning. I also know that I won’t exercise in the morning if my workout clothes aren’t the first thing I see in the morning.  When I don’t see my workout gear first thing, I decide to have coffee and watch TV instead. So, every night I set my gear out so I don’t have any excuse not to exercise.  Day supported by morning, morning supported by night.  Routine.

On more than one occasion people have made mention of my strange golf pre-shot routine.  I didn’t think much about it until I played with someone I’d never played with before and she mentioned how interesting it was that I “kinda clicked my heels together like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.”  Well, that sounded weird, so I tried to stop doing it.  Immediately my golf game suffered.  I’d disrupted my routine.

I appreciate the power of meditation and try to incorporate it into my schedule on a daily basis.  Unfortunately, when I get out of my routine, this is one of the first things to go and I notice the change pretty darn quickly.  As a matter of fact, I found myself internally screaming at my meditation app this morning because it wasn’t downloading fast enough.  What does that say about neglecting a routine?

My schedule is pretty fluid. I do not have a Monday-Friday, 8:00-5:00 job. Some days I have on-site clients, some days I have virtual clients, some days I don’t have any clients at all.  Because of this lack of structure I need to rely on routines I have total control over: exercise, meditation, positive self-talk, regular sleep routines, nutrition, etc.

What routines do you rely on?

What routines do you need to create?

What could a solid routine help you to achieve?

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

International Coach Federation

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.

Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD